CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins told “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert that President Donald Trump’s apparent weaponization of the Federal Communications Commission could lead to “a really slippery slope” in future administrations, one day after Colbert alleged that CBS prevented an interview with a Democratic politician due to concerns from the FCC.
Colbert asked Collins to weigh in on the FCC’s actions through the lens of Trump’s attack on ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce last year after she peppered him with questions during an Oval Office gaggle, which prompted Trump to ask FCC chairman Brendan Carr to consider revoking that network’s broadcast license.
The Tuesday night question notably came after the host claimed that CBS lawyers said he couldn’t air an interview with James Talarico, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, without giving equal time to his opponent. (CBS denied it prevented the interview from airing in a statement, one Colbert later called “crap.”)
Collins, who hosts CNN’s “The Source,” said that the actions weren’t surprising considering Trump’s signals that he’d bend the federal agency in such a way. “I think the question is how far he goes on his threats. Does he follow through? Does he even need to follow through? Or does just making the threat, in and of itself, already cause the action?”
Colbert used the opportunity to hint at his own debacle: “Threaten the network and then they might just do it for you without actually, you know, making a ruling of any kind.”
Collins then added that, despite the Republican Party’s praise of the FCC‘s actions, the risk of the agency’s threats could be felt when a Democratic administration comes into power.
“I think that they don’t want a Democratic administration saying that right-wing talk radio must give equal time to Democrats,” Collins said. “For me personally, on our show, I have Democrats and Republicans on. I want to know what everyone’s saying. I want my viewers to know what the debate is that’s in Washington. I don’t think anyone wants the federal government telling people who they should book on their show and who the guests should be on their show.”
